November 17: Samurai Noodle (U-District)

I met up with a friend in the U District for lunch today, so my discussion below about Samurai Noodle is in relation to their location on The Ave. They've also got a location in the International District, and I've got no reason to think they're any different.

Also, our conversation was so engaging that I forgot to take a photo of my food. Here's the menu photo. It's true to life.

But let's back up. Yesterday, when trying to figure out where to meet up for lunch, I remembered news from a year or so ago that two ramen restaurants had opened in Las Vegas, and last week that one of them had closed. The concept of a ramen restaurant intrigued me, and I discovered Samurai Noodle in my Google search of Seattle restaurants.

Today, I asked Google how best to get to The Ave, and it suggested a 31 minute transit ride, with transfers, or a 14 minute Uber ride. I used Uber Pool for the first time, and for the cost of $5.75 and a two-block detour to pick someone else up at Century Link, it got me there, 10 minutes before the "estimated latest" time it expected.

While waiting for my friend to arrive, I ordered a cup of genmaicha tea. Boiling hot with a single tea bag, I was unable to even pick up the cup for several minutes. The waitress explained that it's made with green tea and roasted brown rice, which is exactly the flavor profile that came through.

My friend and I both ordered the mushroom ramen. It arrived quickly, and hit the spot. Very much like a phở, the broth was mild and earthy, and the ramen noodles were more like a heavy vermicelli, nothing like the styrofoam bricks of Top Ramen I chowed on when I was younger. There were two or three varieties of mushrooms in the bowl, although I don't remember what they were. Too much conversation; not enough blog preparation. Sorry.

I took Uber Pool back to the office. It took six minutes for my driver to arrive; there was already a passenger in the back seat. We dropped her off at Westlake Center, and I got dropped off back at the office. $4.78. bringing the round trip fare to $10.53.

Signs also say that they deliver through Uber Eats, Amazon Fresh, and Yelp's Eat 24. However, their International District location is only a 9-minute walk away from the office, in Uwajimaya Village. Good stuff. I plan to eat there in December.

Samurai Noodle
4138 University Way (but also at 606 5th Ave S)
Mushroom ramen and tea, $14.22 (plus $10.53 to get there and back via Uber)